A commentary in the New England Journal of Medicine expresses concerns about the advisability of employing weight-loss surgery for teenagers who are severely obese. While this type of surgery has become increasingly common among adults, it is less clear whether weight-loss surgery, also known as bariatric surgery, should be employed for adolescents. Even so, bariatric surgery is becoming more common among this age group, with at least 1,000 teenagers undergoing this procedure each year in the U.S.
In her commentary, one of the Journal s editors, Dr. Julie Ingelfinger, considers the debate over weight-loss surgery for teens. On one hand, the surgery seems to have a potential to provide enormous long-term benefits for teenagers, helping to prevent the serious health risks associated with severe obesity, including risks of cardiovascular disease, certain cancers, arthritis, and stroke. It may be beneficial to deal with obesity early on in order to reduce later difficulties.
However, concerns remain about employing bariatric surgery at such a young age, given the lifestyle changes that must go along with it. These adolescents will be required to comply with a strict dietary regimen and exercise schedule, along with medication, for the rest of their lives. And the side-effects of such surgery over time have not yet been assessed.
Beyond the consideration of the possible risks and benefits of the surgery, another factor of the debate still concerns ACSH. Some opponents, as Dr. Ingelfinger explains, raise the question of whether this is a misguided application of technology to a societal overeating disorder. ACSH's Dr. Gilbert Ross is concerned about the implications of this question: The attitude that places all the blame on someone else for a patient s severe obesity junk food, sugar, trans fats, TV ads is not viable. The problem is a complex one.